Summary This position is with USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, KS.
You will serve as a Carpenter responsible for maintaining, repairing, and modifying facility structures, with a major focus on door hardware, including mechanical components as well as panic devices, electrified locking systems, access-control interfaces, and related security hardware. Duties Performing maintenance and repair of door hardware throughout the facility, which includes standard mechanical components as well as panic devices, electrified locking systems, access-control interfaces, and related security hardware. | Constructing, altering, repairing, and modifying buildings, structures, and fixtures with wood, plywood, engineered lumber, wallboard, insulation, plastics, and metal laboratory equipment. | Maintaining, repairing and making alterations to the facilities, working with wood, wood substitute materials, sheetrock, and other materials. | Diagnosing mechanical and electrical malfunctions, performing adjustments, replacing components, and ensuring proper alignment and reliable operation of all hardware and equipment. | Ensuring all work complies with facility security requirements, safety standards, and manufacturer specifications. | Coordinating with security personnel, contractors, and other maintenance staff to ensure repairs are properly scheduled, documented, and completed with minimal disruption to operations.
Qualifications
In order to qualify for this position you must meet the following by the closing date of the vacancy announcement: 11/18/2026.
Qualifications will be determined under the Job Element Rating System X-118C, Qualifications Standard Handbook. While a specific length of time and experience is not required for most Wage Grade positions, you must show through experience and training that you possess the best qualified level of knowledge and skill necessary to perform the duties of this position. Qualification requirements emphasize the quality of experience, not necessarily the length.
The responses to the questionnaire and your resume should be in significant detail to provide the person rating your application with a good understanding of your ability to do the job, technical knowledge, work, and training experience, etc. (For example You must have the ability to perform the duties of a, Carpenter without more than normal supervision (Screen Out)). Applicants who do not meet the SCREEN OUT ELEMENT will not be given further consideration.
Physical Effort:
- Incumbent performs work on benches, supports, ladders, scaffolds, roofs, in modules, around and under laboratory equipment which requires continuous standing, stooping, bending, climbing, and working overhead and in stretches cramped or awkward positions. May be required to lift items up to 50 pounds with appropriate precautions and support.
Working Conditions:
- Incumbents usually perform work inside heated buildings but may be required to work on equipment located outside of buildings and on top of roofs. When outside, work may be occasionally performed in all kinds of weather. The incumbent is subject to toxic fumes from adhesives and glues; cuts, bruises and dangers from flying plastic and wood splinters and chips from powered or hand tools; and falls when working on high places using ladders and scaffolds.
- The health status of personnel is monitored periodically using biologic and serologic tests and physical examinations.
- Restrictions against contact with birds and livestock outside the laboratory may apply after entering high security animal facilities that are working with disease agents foreign to the United States.
Containment Work Requirements:
- Working in a high containment laboratory poses some degree oof risk to human health. For the health and safety of the incumbent and to prevent the spread of diseases, immunization against diseases being studied at NBAF which are transmissible to humans is required where the vaccine has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for safety and effectiveness under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, as amended 21 USC 321-392.
- lnvestigational vaccines are those approved for human testing while they continue gathering additional safety and efficacy data in advance of full approval for commercial release. While immunization with FDA investigational vaccines is strongly encouraged, the incumbent will be advised that such immunization is voluntary.
- Individuals who are already vaccinated or do not wish to receive the investigational vaccines will be asked to sign a declination form, assuming the risk of working with the viruses without vaccination. See attached declination form.
Ongoing Health Status Monitoring:
- Psychological and physical health are monitored as part of a person review. For physical health monitoring, a baseline blood sample will be required for employees entering and working in the biocontainment facility. When enrolled in the serum monitoring program, in addition to physical and psychological examinations, the physical health status of personnel is monitored periodically using biologic and serological tests. Beyond regular monitoring programs, blood draws will be needed to monitor the specific medical surveillance examinations.
- Any medical condition which could create an unsafe environment for the individual or his/her co-workers, such as: Insufficient control of a medical disorder which could result in sudden loss of consciousness; and inadequate vision and hearing required for safety in a laboratory environment must be considered before a job offer and may be disqualifying.
Personal Protective Equipment:
- Risk is reduced but cannot be eliminated with special safety precautions. Use of Safety protocols and use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as respirators, disposable personal protective clothing, and eye protection, are used as needed. PPE is dependent upon the work performed and the laboratory space in which the work is performed.
- The incumbent is required to wear tight-fitting respirator when working in biological control areas; facial hair restrictions are to comply with proper operation of personal protective equipment.
- Approval to use a respirator requires a medical evaluation and fit test.
Decontamination/Body Requirements:
The incumbent must have the ability to take a full-body shower with soap and shampoo one or more times per day without assistance. The incumbent must not have a skin condition which would prevent daily showering. Jewelry of any kind is not permitted inside containment.
- Body jewelry in piercings must have the ability to be removed prior to entering biocontainment or the piercing and jewelry must be completely sealed off from the working environment to protect the individual from contamination. No unhealed piercings are permitted inside biocontainment.
- External medical devices may not be permitted. External medical devices must have the ability to be removed prior to entering biocontainment or be sealed off from the working environment to protect the individual from contamination.
- Facial hair restrictions are required to ensure the proper fit of tight-fitting respirators.
Personal Recognizance Quarantine (PRQ):
- Due to the contagious nature to livestock of Foot-and-Mouth disease, and other diseases under study at NBAF, Select Agent Regulations specify a personal quarantine for the incumbent entering biocontainment. As a condition of employment, all personnel entering biocontainment facilities at NBAF must not be in contact with specific susceptible animals for a period of five (5) days after leaving biocontainment. Currently, restricted species include cattle, sheep, goats, deer, other ruminants, and swine. Contact with horses, birds (agricultural and pet birds) and rabbits are normally permitted, but restrictions may be placed on staff working with or near-contagious agents affecting these species. Restricted livestock or other restricted animal may not be housed on the premises where the employee lives and where quarantine cannot be enforced. Incumbents who violate this requirement may be removed from employment or may be subject to other disciplinary action.
- Medical confidentiality will be maintained by the examining physician and only fitness (or unfit) for duty determinations will be indicated. As required, periodic fitness for duty physicals will be scheduled. In addition, medical clearance will be required if it becomes necessary to enter an area where an air purifying respirator or other respiratory protection is required.
Education This position does not have an education qualification requirement.
How you will be evaluated Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures and USDA policy using category rating. Applicants who meet basic minimum qualifications will be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Category placement will be determined based on applicants' quality of experience and the extent they possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) or competencies:
- Ability To Do The Work Of The Position Without More Than Normal Supervision
- Ability to Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc. (Other Than Blueprint Reading)
- Ability to Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment
- Knowledge of Equipment Assembly, Installation, and Repair, etc.
- Knowledge of Materials
- Measurement and Layout
- Technical Practices (Theoretical, Precise, Artistic)
Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.
Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.
Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply" button to the right.
To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13100900 How to apply Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement to be entered into the system prior to its closing. Resumes must not exceed two pages.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.
To begin, click "Apply" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.
Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable. Please ensure your resume does not exceed two pages. Applicants who submit a resume that exceeds two pages will be removed from consideration.
Other information Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized. Final determination to pay an incentive will be made by the hiring official at time of job offer.
This is a Testing Designated Position (TDP). Selectee must submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and random testing thereafter. Final appointment and continued employment is conditional on negative results for illegal drug use.